Main menu

Post navigation

South African Indians prefer Apartheid?

It is well known that there is a growing unease between black South Africans and Indians in South Africa. How bad is it? A recent poll suggests that are large percentage of Indians there think that things were better during apartheid. From Rediff.com:

Despite their support for the ruling African National Congress, more Indians than whites in South Africa were unhappy with the present dispensation and prefer the former apartheid regime to the present democratic state, a survey by ANC has revealed.

The survey, conducted in the Guateng region (which has an Indian population of over 3,00,000) revealed that 37 per cent of Indian respondents replied in the affirmative when asked whether they prefer going back to the apartheid regime compared to 19 per cent of whites who made the same choice.

There is of course a lot of racial tension between the two groups:

The [poll] has made the ANC deduce that the “skepticism” of the Indian and coloured communities towards the government was due to the perception that before they were “not white enough and now they are not black enough.”

A new song [2002] by renowned South African composer and producer Mbongeni Ngema is causing a racial stir Â— this time round between blacks and Indians. The song, “Amandiya,” which means “Indians” in Zulu, has lyrics describing the country’s Indian population as abusive to black people, and being more racist than whites.

Ngema’s song blames Indians for taking advantage of blacks. He denounces the influx of immigrants from the Indian subcontinent, who he says are flooding into South Africa, so much so that “a brave man is required to confront” them.

The song struck a wrong musical note with the country’s leading politicians and human rights activists, who are wary that the song could provoke racial hatred in a country that prides itself on its new commitment to multiracial cooperation after years of apartheid rule. As of June 19, it was removed from the public airwaves until further notice.

And Indians definitely have African blood in them; you can see it in their facial features. That’s why I say they’re Black. The Black man is the “main ingredient” of the human race. Yes, Burgundy, to me Brown IS a lighter shade of Black. Most Black Americans have known that for years.

Imran you’ve gone way off topic. We’re discussing whether South African Indians are racist or not, so what the hell does xenophobia have to do with that? Or is it perhaps an attempt on your part to avoid confronting the topic?

Blackie you’re right. Just a pity most Indians won’t acknowledge their black blood. If you talk to them about an Indian girl who’s dating a black guy, they call her a slut. If you mention an Indian guy who dates black women, they say the women are whores, and think nothing of the guy leaving them pregnant and alone. What kind of family values are those? Will someone please explain why it’s not acceptable for Indians to be with blacks but relationships with white or my coloured people are encouraged?